Comments
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Brian Renwick Hi Honora, good article. Interesting to read and informative. Also I note your forthright comments about ascertaining prospective trip members suitability for the planned trip. I have had a similar experience myself, which we resolved by splitting the party into 2 groups, the other following an easier, but still challenging enough, route. Not a bad outcome and we had 2 PLBs.
I was studying the map and wonder if there is a good alternative route between Fiery Col and Fohn Pass, which involves climbing due East to the dip between points 1748 and 1774 from Fiery Creek, then following the ridge to Fohn Pass.
Your bro, Brian
4 February 2013
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Brian Renwick Re your comment on pack-fitness Honora, I don't consider myself to be particularly pack-fit. I get around this problem by putting bugger all in my pack in the first place.... E.g. take a day pack for a 5-day trip!
4 February 2013
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Honora Well, we know what to get you for xmas then.
See I got a mention on the front page (another ultralight tramper). I keep saying I'll buy one of Aarn's packs but maybe I'll get the bigger capacity version of Bryan's. That cuben sounds awesome. I checked out the hyperlite guy's site. I hope Bryan starts making and selling stuff with it...
28 May 2009
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matthew Hi Honora. Hmm now I'm starting to wonder how heavy my tent pegs are. And I'd quite fancy a titanium spork. ;-)
28 May 2009
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Honora Hi Matthew. Yes, it's difficult to come up with a grading system but easy of leaders to describe what is entailed on a trip to all interested. The leader had done this trip and was capable of describing it. Actually this non-packfit fellow knew very well what he was getting into. He knew it was a 5 day trip with significant height gain,(5 Passes for heaven's sake) carrying a 5 day pack over a reasonable proportion of untracked terrain. In this case, it was willful deceit on the trip member
's part to sacrifice our enjoyment for his being able to be accepted on the trip. Apparently he is not planning to try that stunt again. There are plenty of people in the club at his level of fitness and with similar ambition he could link up with and still do good trips with. They would have to get smart about lightening their packs i.e. not be found on the 3rd day to be carrying 6 tins of fish like he was when there were 3 days to go on the tramp and he'd been struggling the whole way.
Actually I keep meaning to check out Bryan Dudley's ultralight site. http://www.tramplight.co.nz/ These guys are in their 60's and smart about being lightweight. They make and modify their own gear and sell it as well as acting as agents for other stuff such as Squall tents.
27 May 2009
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matthew Interesting comments Honora. Personal fitness and track difficulties are very subjective. In a way it would be nice if we had a standard grading system like climbers do, but I think that's not realistic as there are so many different factors, and because conditions change.
So the interesting question (from my perspective) is how to ensure people understand what they're getting themselves into.
26 May 2009
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Honora This article was heavily edited for the PTC newsletter to avoid
'name and shame' but the reason I told it like it is is that this happens on club trips all the time.
People who should know better misrepresent their level of fitness to enable themselves to be accepted on trips. The rest of the party spend the entire trip managing the lame duck to their own detriment.
I have no axe to grind when it is transparent i.e. well-known individuals put themselves down for trips and the leader accepts them, knowing what this will entail for the party. I've done this and am happy to do so. In this instance from the start of the trip I felt there was a 50% chance that the person concerned would be unable to complete the trip, even with our support.
He is allegedly an ex outdoor instructor and has been involved in mountaineering, tramping etc. for most of his life so there's no excuse of ignorance.
He wouldn't have been accepted on the trip if the leader had thought to question him further on his assertion that he was quite fit at the time e.g what have you been doing in the last month or so? 2 of the party members expressed surprise to the leader when they were told prior to the trip that this fellow had been accepted for the 5 Passes trip. I hope next time that occurs, the leader asks the prospective participant to qualify what he means by being sufficiently fit enough for the trip e.g. have you recently done multiday trips on untracked terrain, including significant height gain with a heavy pack?
I got caught up in this scenario, the first time I led a trip for the CTC and learnt from it to ask people I didn't know to define their fitness by responses to specific queries e.g. have you travelled up rivers, stepping up and along large boulders? No? Well this isn't the trip to learn that skill on, so sorry you can't come on this trip. (Rocky/Griffin)
I get the feeling some leaders just want to lead large groups into the outdoors and not hurt people's feelings but in actual fact they're effectively choosing to sabotage the experience of the majority of the group and often the original objective. Being able to choose a reasonably compatible group, fitness-wise is, I believe, one of the components of being a trip leader. And not being guided in your selection by other experienced participants in the group is being disrespectful.
19 May 2009
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rileyz chur for the good read!
4 May 2009
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madpom An informative report and a good read at the same time ... thanks.
2 May 2009
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pmcke Thanks for this, very entertaining. I enjoyed sharing your trip through this wonderful country.
25 April 2009
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Dztramping Have had CTC's trip report including the route on topographic maps. A lot of thanks. This tramp has been in my wish list and I would like to do this with one or a few tramping partners.
25 April 2009
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